The Nerdy Derby is a Pinewood Derby-inspired no-rules* car building and racing competition brought to you by students from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program. The first Nerdy Derby will take place on September 29th and 30th at World Maker Faire New York at the New York Hall of Science in Queens. Awards will be handed out for: The Underdog, The Tricked Out, The Delicious, The Not-so-pretty, and The King of the Hill. Everyone is encouraged to build a car to take part in this inaugural event, so get started by checking out the track spec. [Thanks, Sherry!]

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We did this a couple years back for our Pinewood Derby (though with a standard track) for the adults. The only rules were weight, size (mainly so it could go under the finish sensor), and at least some amount of wood (even a toothpick would do). Other than that, it was all fair game.

In such cases, if you’re going to use something remote controlled, make sure you have the most power transmitter. I was actually able to disable another competitor’s car because we were on the same frequency. Some people complained, but, again, it was totally legal!